Amira

Manta listened at Zelrius actually told her a bit about his past. "There's no if about that Zelrius." She said, confident that he would survive unless he killed himself. She raised an eyebrow as he stated that he might be able to make it up to her, how she had stuck through this. He stated it as though he was certain that she wasn't enjoying herself or enjoying hanging out with him. She smirked, but in a more kind than rude manner. "Zel, this hasn't been painful for me, and im not forcing myself to be here with you. I enjoy hanging out with you, so there is nothing to make up for. Even if you don't feel the same way about me. If you don't enjoy being with me, the feeling is not mutual." She replied, giving his hand a squeeze.

Manta raised an eyebrow. She had thought that she would get some sort of reaction from her leading him there, something. Annoyance that she had sort of taken the lead? Happiness that he didn't have to lead her everywhere? Nothing. This date was going nowhere, and it was becoming quite apparent that he had no interest in her. He didn't seem to feel anything whatsoever for her, and he didn't want to know about her past either, at least she assumed from his reaction. "Nimbus." She called out, wondering if she should address the issue.

Manta waited for Zelrius to tell her a bit about himself back, but she was disappointed. She thought that she had summarized it pretty well. It certainly wasn't twenty words or less, but it wasn't like she had gone on for longer than a minute. Probably not. She glanced back at Zelrius, paying more attention to what he was saying now. The mountains were certainly nice, and hiking always made it easier to talk. "That sounds like a good idea." She said, gently pulling him towards the stairs, leading the way to the teleporter herself this time.

Manta frowned as he asked her about real life. She didn't like thinking about how she would have to confront her parents once this was over. For all she knew, they hadn't even noticed she was stuck in this game, and the maid had been taking care of her. She didn't truly believe that, but she also couldn't understand why they hadn't pulled the plug yet. They hadn't cared about her before, why would they care now? "I was born in Norway, but when I was still a baby my parents moved to Japan because they got a job offer. Their lawyers, and incredibly rich. They never seemed to notice me though. I don't have much to say about myself, I was locked in the house, so VRMMOs were my escape. Simple story for a simple person." She said a bit bitterly.

Manta glanced over at Zelrius as he sighed again. He didn't look as upset as before, but there was still a bit of sadness on his face. Odds were that he was just trying to hide how he felt for her sake. "I cant imagine what i'll do when I get out of this game. All the constant excitement, real world things must feel pretty boring after all this. It'll be a relief to escape, but for me that'll bring a whole 'nother set of problems." She stated quietly, looking around the hall again. She was confident that they would get out of this game, maybe because she always spoke like it was something definite. That was something that she had been doing the entire time she had been in the game, hoping that it would inspire a confidence and keep the hopelessness away, and over time it had developed into a firm belief.

A light blush tinted Manta's cheeks as he grasped her other hand and led her up the stairs quickly, into the balcony overlooking the hall beneath them. It really was a beautiful sight, and the peaceful atmosphere was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of everyday life as a front liner. No people begging for materials or items, or asking her for help. She could only imagine how bad it must be for Zelrius, being the best DPS and the Hero of Aincrad. That was a lot of stress and responsibility for one person. Her eyes glanced around the place, drawn especially to the stained glass. The main window had the Azure Brigade symbol, which she thought was a bit out of place, but it was still incredibly beautiful. "It can get a bit too exciting sometimes in this game." She replied.

Manta gave Zelrius a smile. "You don't need to ask for a chance. I was always going to give you a chance, I just felt like you weren't going to for me." She said. She wasn't about to leave unless he asked her to, especially after he had asked her to give him a chance. Despite his words she still felt like neither of their hearts were truly into it. Who knew, maybe that would change during the date itself. She reached out and grasped his hand again. "Lets get moving then."

Manta raised an eyebrow. She wasn't just going to let him get away with that. She gently wormed her hand out of his grip. "Zelrius. Im not just going to be a little fling of yours to make you temporarily happy." She said, looking him straight in the eye, being absolutely serious. She paused, trying to think of what else to say. "If we date, it isn't going to be 'little'. Walk away or continue on, I don't particularly care, but if I'm going to take this date seriously I expect you to do the same." She finally said, voicing her opinion about the situation. She didn't particularly  want this date, but if it was going to happen, she was going to treat it seriously, not as some sort of fling.

Manta thought that all of this was a bit strange. Zelrius had never shown any interest in her until now, and even though they had grown a bit closer on their scouting mission she didn't think that he felt that way. Truthfully, she didn't share the sentiment. She wasn't opposed to dating Zelrius, but she wasn't completely for it either. She couldn't help but think that if this date worked out and they continued seeing each other, that he would feel as though she was just there for his unique. That would always hang over his and her heads. She glanced over at Zelrius, noting his sigh. He really didn't seem all that happy. Maybe he was already having his doubts? "Hey Zel, before we go any further, are you sure that you want this date?" Something just felt off about this whole thing. Maybe it was just her own reservations, doubts, and current neutrality, but she didn't want to somehow make him feel obligated to continue.

Manta glanced over at Zelrius who looked like he was having a hard time with this boss. In truth, she was too. This boss was the most crappily designed boss that she had ever fought. There was no question, Kayaba was trolling them. A boss with incredibly high evasion and accuracy that hid in it's nest where they couldn't reach it, healing itself magically, and then snatched players up. Many of the players had maxed out skills in multiple areas, herself included, and they still couldn't do anything about this boss. As the bird flew overhead and snatched her up, carrying her over to it's nest, she could only wonder why she wasn't slashing at it's leg with her rapier. She could certainly hit it if she twisted enough. How strange.Then the bird set her and Zandra down in it's nest, where it was also hiding, leaving her to also wonder why she didn't charge it in it's nest and deal some damage. Quite strange.....

<Rohk, the Predatory Avian>
HP: 417/1,200
Mitigation: 80
Accuracy: 4
Evasion: 4
Immune to Stun and Paralysis.
Mitigates 50% of the damage from Critical Hits and Thorns (all variants)
Emperor Precision- 6/10 Cooldown

Raptor Falcon: 0/300 | Mitigation: 0 | Evasion: 4 | Damage: 85
Raptor Falcon:-0/300 | Mitigation: 0 | Evasion: 4 | Damage: 85
Raptor Falcon: 300/300 | Mitigation: 0 | Evasion: 4 | Damage: 85
Amber Egg: 274/300 | Mitigation: 100 
Amber Egg: 274/300 | Mitigation: 100 
Amber Egg: 274/300 | Mitigation: 100 
Amber Egg: 300/300 | Mitigation: 100
Amber Egg: 300/300 | Mitigation: 100
Amber Egg: 300/300 | Mitigation: 100
Amber Egg: 300/300 | Mitigation: 100

Manta let out a sigh of relief as Zelrius started to talk, politely excusing them and pulling her away from the awkward situation. At least she had gotten an answer. She followed him, unsure of where they were going, her mind on his earlier question. She wasn't comfortable with the hotsprings at all, even with Erin. On the other end, what would anyone do in a Cathedral? It seemed like he had just suggested two extremes. "I think i'd be more comfortable with the cathedral, but what do you even do at one?" She asked.

Manta glanced around the festival as Zelrius spoke. However beautiful it was, it really wasnt anything that she hadn't seen before. She really didn't have much of a reason to stay anymore, so she looked back over at Zelrius. "I didn't have any plans for today either, besides wandering around here. If you have a place in mind, lead the way." She replied to him with a smile. She accepted the hair pin, blushing a little and attaching it to her hair on the left side. She would have to adjust it and change up her hairstyle a little later using it. She heard footsteps approaching, but chose to ignore them, assuming it to just be another player walking around the festival. That was, until she heard someone voice the question that she had been asking herself. She was unsure how to reply but turned to face the other player, glancing her up and down. She looked very familiar, perhaps someone who had bought a potion from her shop at one point? Regardless, she seemed to have come over for no other purpose than to be rude under the guise of politeness. Manta smiled back at her warmly and shook her hand firmly, all the while thinking about why so many cancerous scrubs were in this game. "I'm Manta, it's nice to meet you too." She said, her voice also projecting the warmth that her smile did. Even if she didn't feel it, she was going to do her best to be kind to everyone.

Manta reached her hand out to grasp his offered hand. She walked along beside him as he led her through the twisting, winding streets of Taft and through the festival. She admired the beauty of the festival, her mind flashing back to when she truly noticed how realistic and beautiful everything seemed, even though it was a just a game. The last time she had had a thought like that was over a year ago. She glanced over at him as he finally spoke, only to see him glancing away from her. She wasnt entirely sure if it was that she was gaining a better understanding of him as a person, or if he was changing. Perhaps it was a combination of both. When she had first met him he had seemed like one of those abstract art pieces that you see in a museum. Something to look at but not touch, something that seemed simple on the surface but had so much meaning underneath. In a way, he was still like that piece of art in that he was complex and hard to understand, but she wasn't afraid to get near him anymore. Her eyes widened slightly as he spoke, unsure of where he was going with this and what exactly he was asking.  She decided to go with the assumption that he just wanted them to hang out as friends and not anything more. She just didn't want to misunderstand what he was saying and felt like that was the safest assumption. "That sounds like fun Zel. I havent really done much in the way of relaxing besides this." She replied, not saying much as she was still unsure what he was asking specifically.

Manta held the strange bask up to her face, marveling at the craftsmanship before remembering that they were in a game and it was a system made object. Still, someone had taken the time to design it, and that was impressive enough. She lowered it as she heard Zelrius's voice approaching, addressing her directly.She attached the mask to the belt on her skirt and looked over at him. She wasnt one to say no to one of her commandants, and it wasnt like she still had the same view of Zelrius as she had had before they had gone scouting together. She smiled at him. She wanted to continue walking around the festival, as cliched as it was, but the odds were that what Zelrius wanted to say wouldnt take long. "Sure Zel." She replied, gesturing for him to lead the way.

Manta smiled as she walked around the festival, munching on a cinnamon bun. There were games all over the place, but on in particular had caught her eye, and she had walked by it four or five times already, looking at the cat mask prizes. She eventually got up the courage to walk over to it, and picked up the miniature baseball. It was one of those jug games that no one ever won, so she didn't expect to win. She tossed the ball gently, and it wnet right into the jug. A reward screen popped up in front of her with the mask as a reward. She tapped the accept smiling.

 ID# 49807 results:

Manta disliked having to gather materials. She knew that there was a player out there who would gather materials for Col, but she hadn't found them yet. She patted her rapier, sheathed at her side, and made her way out of the shop co-owned by Erin. They were close to running out of materials, and they also needed to be able to pay Hikoru to continue with his appraising. Pus, she needed actual weapons for him to appraise.

Manta smiled and walked into Oikawa's shop. She thought that she had been here before, but she wasn't sure. She glanced around the shop, her intention being that of buying a couple of tier two good rapiers. However, as she made her way over to the rapiers, one in specific caught her eye. She had quite a few rapiers already, including uncommons, goods, perfects and rares, but there was just something about the weapon. Good weapons could wait. She picked up the crimson bladed rapier and brought it up to the counter, setting down 3300 Col on the counter.

Lucifer's Fang: (One-Handed Rapier)(Perfect)(Tier 2)(+2 Damage and +2 Bleed) Description: (A crimson bladed rapier with a black hilt and bats etched into the hand guard.)

-3300 Col

Manta received the PM saying that the Claymore was done being appraised, so she grabbed a good number of materials and two good rapiers. Maybe she woud try for more unique enhancements from appraisals. She entered the shop and set another 10 materials on the counter, along with two good quality rapiers. She picked up the appraised claymore and set it in her inventory. "Thank you Hik. I was wondering if maybe you could try to get appraise me a unique enhancement on an item? Il pay you a lot of materials. I have more items and mats, but I don't want to overwhelm you, so il drp them by in increments if you agree."

-10 Mats

-2 tier 2 Rapiers

+Claymore: Keen, Accuracy, Damage

Manta walked through the street on the third floor, heading for Hikoru's shop. She wanted to check up on the progress of her weapon, and also drop off some materials if he needed them. She puled out three materials as she entered the shop, setting the materias down on his counter. "Here, if you need them. How's the appraising going so far?" She asked curiously.

-3 Mats

Manta glanced back, hearing some sort of commotion going on in the shop that she had just been at. Some weird man was throwing himself at the window. She paused and turned around fully to watch. Within moments the man had walked into the shop and then out again before being stopped by an NPC. It was apparent that he had stolen something, which Manta hadn't even thought was allowed by the game rules. Another person went into the shop and came out with boxes of pastries, and the man proceeded to start devouring them as well. The first floor was by far the weirdest in her opinion.

Manta looked into the window of the candy shop, her eyes flitting from one delicious thing to another. It was her sort of shop, but she wasn't about to indulge herself. She had things to do and people to see. She rested her hand on the hilt of her rapier, unable to tear her eyes away from the various pastries, lollipops, and gummies. She et out a long sigh, staring on one cupcake in particular, with chocolate frosting and pink decals on the top. She would have to make a note of this location and come back again sometime soon. She turned around and started to walk from the shop slowly.

Quote

 

Name: Damage Potion

Your Profession: Alchemist

Your Rank: Rank 6

ID: 49495

Roll: 10+1=11

Item Type: Potion
Tier: 2

Quality: Rare

Enhancements: +4 DMG

Description: A potion that gives the user strength.

 

Quote

 

Name: Damage Potion

Your Profession: Alchemist

Your Rank: Rank 6

ID: 49497

Roll: 9+1=10

Item Type: Potion
Tier: 2

Quality: Rare

Enhancements: +4 DMG

Description: A potion that gives the user strength.

 

Quote

 

Name: Health Potion

Your Profession: Alchemist

Your Rank: Rank 6

ID: 49498

Roll: 8+1=9

Item Type: Potion
Tier: 1

Quality: Uncommon

Enhancements: +10 HP

Description: A potion that heals the user.

 

Manta walked into the shop, wondering where Erin had wandered off too. She pulled out an armful of materials and set to work crafting, grinding up plants and minerals, and just making a mess. She did eventually manage to make some good potions though, and she set them in her display case before waiting for Erin to show up.

Manta followed Zelrius into the boss room, frowning. She just had the feeling that someone was going to die in this fight. She unsheathed her rapier and watched as Zelrius attacked the boss. Immediately after he did so, one of the eggs hatched and the boss retreated to where she couldn't hit it. She charged at the minion, activating over radiation, but didn't manage to kill it, leaving it with a tiny sliver of health.

 ID# 49482 results:

Quote

 

Name: Health Crystal

Your Profession: Alchemist

Your Rank: Rank 6

ID: 49363

Roll: 11+1=12

Item Type: Crystal
Tier: 2

Quality: Perfect

Enhancements: +60 HP

Description: A crystal that heals the user 60 points of health.

 

Quote

 

Name: Health Potion

Your Profession: Alchemist

Your Rank: Rank 6

ID: 49368

Roll: 7+1=8

Item Type: Potion
Tier: 1

Quality: Uncommon

Enhancements: +10 HP

Description: A crystal that heals the user 10 points of health.